The 32-year-old hit 100 off 56 balls, including 11 fours and five sixes. He fell in the 18th with 20 needed, but Phil Salt finished 37 not out and won it with a six off Tim Bresnan, who failed to defend eight off the last over.
Yorkshire’s 184-5 was underpinned by a series of useful, without being standout, contributions after being invited to bat.
Harry Brook top-scored with 37 off 26 from number three and shared a 57-run stand for the second wicket with opener Adam Lyth, who hit 32.
Gary Ballance (33) and Jonny Tattersall shared 50 for the fourth wicket as Lahore, who included veteran former Pakistan trio Abdul Razzaq, Zulfiqur Babar and Imran Nazir, struggled in the field.
Bresnan and Jack Leaning both hit sixes off New Zealand seamer Mitch McClenaghan in the final over to push the Vikings up beyond 180 on the same pitch used for the Boost v Auckland clash earlier in the day.
But, despite Bresnan getting Nazir caught in the deep for two in the second over, the Vikings did not have enough against a Qalandars side who have finished bottom of the table in each of the first three years of the Pakistan Super League.
Akhtar played with great freedom and excited the Pakistani contingent in the crowd.
He shared 70 for the second wicket with Bilal Irshad (30) to advance from 12-1 in the second over.
Akhtar was handed a life on 51 when given out by the on-field umpire following a boundary catch at long-off by Lyth off leg-spinner Josh Poysden, only for the third umpire to overturn the decision, ruling Lyth had touched the rope.
That would have left the score at 93-3 in the eleventh over. As it was, it proved the turning point.
